ARIA Albums: Madonna Rebel Heart Is No 1 In Australia

The Madonna album which becomes her eleventh No.1 album in Australia (nine studio, two collections) and also her ninth to debut at the top of the ARIA Albums chart since she first did it with “I’m Breathless” (3-June-1990)

“Rebel Heart” becomes the 725th No.1 album in Australia (1965 to 2015) and the 576th for ARIA (1983 to 2015), plus the 22nd chart-topping album for the Interscope label, with their last being back in June 2014, “Ultraviolence” by Lana Del Rey. Madonna last debuted at the top with her twelfth album almost three years, “MDNA” entered 2-April-2012, staying at the top for a single week, whilst this new No.1 for her takes her accumulated tally at the top of the Australian Albums chart to nineteen weeks, placing her equal 24th on the list of artists for ‘Most Accumulated Weeks at No.1: Albums’ alongside The Twelfth Man (7 albums) and E.L.O. (3 albums).

Madonna is now equal second alongside U2 on the listing for ‘Most No.1 Albums in Australia’ with The Beatles at the top with fourteen, and she moves ahead of Jimmy Barnes with his ten No.1 albums, whilst Bon Jovi are in fifth place with nine chart-topping albums. “Rebel Heart” is also the first album to feature the word ‘Rebel’ in its title (the previous highest album with that word was Michael Franti & Spearhead with “All Rebel Rockers” HP-18, August 2008), and it’s the seventh with the word “Heart(s)” to reach the top, the last being Paulini with “One Determined Heart” (2-Aug-2004). The album also becomes the 265th by an American artist and the 109th by a Female artist to reach the top, the same album is also the last to feature on both of those lists, “Title” by Meghan Trainor.

Fremantle, Perth foursome San Cisco see their second studio album entitled “Gracetown” enter at No.2 this week, which by doing so becomes their first Top 10 album, as their self titled first album debuted and peaked at No.17 in early December 2012. This new album has already seen the song “Run” make it to No.67 in November 2014 and they just debuted at No.98 this week with “Too Much Time Together”.

Taylor Swift drops back down a place to No.3 with her “1989” album, whilst the former No.1 album for the past four weeks, the “Fifty Shades of Grey” soundtrack drops down to No.4 this week, and also down a spot is Sam Smith with “In the Lonely Hour” to No.5. Holding steady this week are Ed Sheeran with “x” and Meghan Trainor with “Title” at No.6 and No.7 respectively.

Former Oasis lead singer Liam Gallagher and his new act High Flying Birds saw their second album “Chasing Yesterday” debut at the top of the UK Albums chart this past week, here though it comes in at No.8, surpassing the No.16 debut and peak of their self-titled first album from late October 2012. One place lower at No.9 is former X-Factor 2012 finalist Jason Owen with his second album and Top 10 debut entitled “Friday Night”, with his first set “Life is a Highway” making it to No.5 in May 2013. Rounding out the Top 10, down five places to No.10 is Kelly Clarkson with her latest album “Piece by Piece” which debuted last week at No.5.

UP: With the recent tour here for The Eagles, their collection “Selected Works 1972-1999” is back up to its former peak of No.11 this week (last September) and helped by their Future Music Festival shows this past week, The Hilltop Hoods are back up four to No.12 with “Walking Under Stars”. Hozier is touring here at the end of March, and his self-titled album is back up to No.14, with Maroon 5 continuing to climb back up with “V” to No.21 this week. London Grammar’s tour here this week sees their former No.2 album “If You Wait” leap back up forty-eight places to land at No.28, whilst another Eagles set “The Complete Greatest Hits” is back up eleven places to No.29. Holding at No.32 is the soundtrack for ‘Guardians of the Galaxy: Awesome Mix 1” which goes from Gold in sales to newly crowned 2x▲Platinum certification, and returning to the Top 50 are “Bon Jovi Greatest Hits” (62 to 44), “Stay Gold” for First Aid Kit (re-entry at #45), Guns N’ Roses’ “Greatest Hits” (69 to 47) and “The Very Best of” Fleetwood Mac (94 to 50).

DOWN: The four albums leaving the Top 10 include last weeks highest new entry “Fan of a Fan” for Chris Brown and Tyga (3 to 16, WI10-1), both Foo Fighters albums drop out now that their tour is over, “Greatest Hits” (8 to 18, WI10-13) and “Sonic Highways” (9 to 24, WI10-9) and also finishing up his tour here last week is Drake whose latest “If You’re Reading This it’s Too Late” drops from No.10 to #27 (WI10-3). George Ezra drops eight to No.19 with “Wanted on Voyage”, after debuting at No.12 last week “Jack U” for Skrillex and Diplo drops fourteen places to No.26, whilst the Led Zeppelin returnee at No.13 “Physical Graffiti” is down twenty-four to No.37. Purity Ring see their album “Another Eternity” down ten to No.35, Jason Aldean drops fourteen to No.38 with “Old Boots, New Dirt” and Fall Out Boy are down eight to No.46 with “American Beauty/American Psycho”. Leaving from last weeks fifty into the lower chart are Royal Blood (36 to 59), Rise Against (29 to 63), Robin Schulz (37 to 64), Big Sean (42 to 66), Marilyn Manson (45 to 72), The Avener (35 to 75), Falling in Reverse (41 to 83) and Roxette with “The 30 Biggest Hits” (33 to 93), whilst exiting the hundred from last weeks fifty is Tori Darke with her album “Silver Lining” (#47).

Apart from the four debuts within the Top 10 this week, the only other new Top 50 entry comes in at No.40, the self-titled second album for Nick Jonas, which surpasses the No.46 peak his previous entry with his side-band Nick Jonas & The Administration achieved with the set entitled “Who I Am” (15-Feb-2010), and this current album benefits from his recent promo tour here last week and his current No.15 single “Jealous”.

Lower 50: Barbra Streisand and her set “Partners” is back up eleven places to No.52 and returning to the chart at No.54 is the Crowded House collection “The Very Very Best of”, and back up eleven also is “Curtain Call: The Hits” for Eminem to No.60. The Robertson Brothers return at No.73 with their covers album “Celebrating the Hits of The Everly Brothers” (HP-54) and The Wiggles recent set “Rock & Roll Preschool” is back in at No.77. Other returns come from Sticky Fingers (#82), Pink Floyd (#86), Jessica Mauboy (#98) LiveSOS for 5SOS (#99) and best of collections for Fleetwood Mac (#89), The Angels (#97) and Creedence Clearwater Revival (#100).

The 26th album for local trumpeter and jazz musician James Morrison comes in at No.67 entitled “A to Z of Jazz”, and its his eighth ARIA Albums chart entry, and his first since he teamed with Deni Hines on the album “The Other Woman” (HP-86, Jan 2008). And the final entry of the week is the first new entry in just over ten years for Shania Twain, coming in at No.78 is “Still the One: Live in Vegas”, with her last entry being her “Greatest Hits” set which debuted and peaked at No.10 in November 2004, but left the charts in the first week of March 2005 (7th of March).

The sixteenth studio album for Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds entitled "Skeleton Tree" debuts in the No.1 spot on the ARIA Albums Chart this week, making it back-to-back No.1 studio albums for the Australian group.

It's been just under sixteen years since the debut album for Australian dance/hip-hop/remix act The Avalanches was released, but this week their second long-coming album entitled "Wildflower" debuts at the top of the ARIA Albums Chart.